Being Human
by regenerate-me
Summary: The TARDIS suddenly crashes in Colchester and won't be able to fly again for a couple months forcing Amy and the Doctor to live with Craig and Sophie for the time being.
1. Chapter 1

The TARDIS shook violently as it rocketed through time and space. Somehow Amy and the Doctor had gone from a easy trip to Space Florida to feeling like they were smack dab in the middle of a space tornado. The Doctor reached the console and tried to figure out what had caused his ship to go haywire. Amy clambered towards him and held on to his arm.

"Doctor, what's happening?" She yelled over the roar of noises surrounding them.  
>"I don't know! Something is wrong with the TARDIS. But what?" The Doctor yelled back. Amy watched him frantically try to find an explanation to the TARDIS suddenly veering off course. It wasn't the first time she had gone off to where she wanted them to go, but it was never like this before. She liked Space Florida just as much as Amy and the Doctor. Why would she want to go somewhere else?<br>"Can't you stop it somehow?" Amy said becoming increasingly more frustrated. Mad and impossible Amy Pond getting frustrated instead of frightened when the TARDIS starts hurdling towards who knows where. The TARDIS shook again, sending sparks flying above their heads. The Doctor pulled Amy into him and used his arms to cover her. She held on to his tweed jacket and squeezed her eyes closed, bracing herself for a bumpy ride. The TARDIS lurched forward one more time and sent them toppling over onto each other.  
>"I think she just stopped herself." the Doctor said as glanced up at the scanner to see where they had landed. He realized that when they fell, Amy had landed directly on top of him. He jumped up awkwardly, and helped her off the floor.<br>"Thanks." she said while dusting herself off. "So, where exactly are we?"  
>"We're in Colchester. Why did we land in <em>Colchester<em>?" The Doctor replied. He looked at the scanner again trying to make sense of the current situation.  
>"Well, if you plan on leaving the TARDIS, make sure you take me with you this time so I'm not stuck landing and taking off again." Amy said under her breath. The Doctor shot her an sideways glance and ignored her remark.<br>"Right, the TARDIS isn't going to be able to go anywhere for... a while. So we're going to need to find a place to stay." He began roaming around trying to grab all the necessary items to take with them when they found somewhere to go.  
>"How long is <em>a while<em>?" Amy asked raising her eyebrows. The Doctor avoided her gaze and kept rummaging through different compartments of the TARDIS looking for something.  
>"Doctor," she asked again. "How long?"<br>"At least a month. Maybe more." He admitted sheepishly.  
>"What are we going to do in Colchester for a month? And what about the TARDIS?"<br>"She's a tough old girl, she'll be fine. She's trying to fix herself back up. Until then we've got to find a place to stay and be _normal._"  
>"What about that bloke you lived with last time? What was he called?"<br>"Craig! Right, we can stay with Craig. Better get a move on, then. Come along, Pond."  
>The two headed out on foot for Craig's flat. After a nice stroll through town they found themselves standing in the living room with the happy couple.<br>"So what brings you back here, mate? I thought you'd be long gone by now." Craig said handing the Doctor a cup of tea.  
>"Oh you know, just popped in for a visit." He took a sip of his tea then handed the cup to Amy. The whole way over she had talked about how good a cup of tea would be but didn't want to ask someone she'd just met to make her some. The Doctor found it so amusing that teased her about it their entire way over. He loved when she got flustered over his fascination with human behavior. But as soon as Craig answered the door, the first thing the Doctor did was request a cup of tea.<br>"And this must be Amy Pond. It's nice to finally see her outside of your head." Craig laughed.  
>"He's been inside your head?" Amy asked. She was extremely intrigued by the idea of being able to see what was on The Doctor's mind from the inside.<br>"Yeah, it was more painful than you'd think." He answered. "You were in there quite a bit. How long have you two been together now?"  
>"Actually Craig, I have a favor to ask." The Doctor quickly interrupted. "Would you mind us staying here for a bit?"<br>"Sure, but what for? Don't you have that ship thing?" Sophie asked.  
>"Yeah, having some trouble with it though. It's going to take a month or two to fix itself. We can pay rent if need be" The Doctor then began feeling around in his jacket for the wad of cash he soniced from an ATM on their way over.<br>"Don't worry about it. Since Sophie's moved in we haven't needed a lodger. We've just been keeping your room as a spare just in case, ya know, you did pop in for another stay." Craig replied with a wink towards the Doctor. He wrapped his arm around Sophie's waist and kissed her on the cheek. Amy felt a pang of jealousy but couldn't help but smile at how purely happy they were together. She just wished she had the same kind of happiness with someone.  
>"Lovely then." The Doctor said, matching Amy's smile. "We'll just put our things in there and figure out the rest in a bit."<br>He grabbed one of Amy's bags and led her to the little room he stayed in while they were separated a few months back. He opened the door and was delighted to see it was just as he'd left it. He took off his jacket and flung it over the back of a chair in the corner of the room. Amy followed closely behind, inspecting the little room as she went along. She noticed something a bit off; there was only one bed. Her heart started racing at the thought of having to share a bed with the Doctor for the next month while they stayed here. Possibly longer! She'd never really shared a bed with anyone. Not like this anyway. When she had nightmares as a little girl she would climb into bed with her mum and dad and sometimes when she slept over at a friend's they would share the bed. But it could never compare to _this. _The Doctor, as usual, seemed oblivious to it all.  
>"So. Doctor. Have you noticed something about this room?" Amy said as she sat down on the bed. He looked around the room trying to figure out what she was talking about but he was stumped.<br>"Is there something I'm supposed to notice?" He inquired.  
>"For starters, there's two of us and only one bed." She replied casually.<br>The Doctor shifted uncomfortably. He hadn't thought things through that far. He wasn't sure if that meant he would be sleeping in the bed with her on on the floor or on the couch in the living room. Although he wasn't sure how he'd fit his giraffe-like legs on the couch, let alone the rest of his body. And it's not that he would _mind _sharing a bed with her. Honestly, he wouldn't mind one bit. But would she? And would it be right of him? She'd just left Rory for whatever reasons she'd been keeping from him. Plus, she's human; she's Amy! He shouldn't be delighted by the idea of sharing a bed with her.  
>"We could just share it, you know." Amy said, breaking the Doctor away from the thoughts at war inside his mind. "I mean, if we have to. I don't mind."<br>The Doctor nodded in agreement. _What does that mean then?_ He thought to himself.  
>"I'll just curl up at the end of the bed like a cat," the Doctor joked. "You'll never even know I'm there."<br>Amy giggled as she pictured the tall, gangly doctor curling up at her feet every night at bed time.  
>"I didn't think you ever slept." She remarked. She knew had a room somewhere on the TARDIS but she always thought he just did Time Lord stuff when he was in there. It was strange to think of the Doctor doing normal human things, like sleeping.<br>"Of course I sleep. Not as much as you lot but even Time Lords need sleep." he said.  
>"Well what do you do when I'm asleep?" She asked. Curiosity had taken over her.<br>"Lots of stuff. Now are you going to help me unpack or just sit there and watch me?" The Doctor held out his hand and pulled her off the bed. Amy began pulling clothes out of her bags and started folding them. After loading the first dresser drawer of clothes she looked over at the Doctor who was hopelessly trying to fold a one of the many button down shirts he packed. Amy shook her head in bemusement and took the shirt from him and folded it. He watched her hands skillfully turn his messy pile of clothes into neat stacks of square folds. The Doctor nudged Amy with his shoulder and flashed her a smile. "What would I do without you, Pond?" Amy smiled and nudged him back as she put the last of the clothes in the dresser. They finished unpacking the rest of the bits and bobs they had brought along then sat at the foot of the bed together.  
>"So what do we do now?" Amy asked.<br>"Do what normal people do. Get jobs and be boring adults." The Doctor replied. For the first time since he started running, he had to slow down. He wasn't sure how he was going to handle coming to a practically a complete stop for a few months.  
>"Is someone Mister Grumpy Face today?" Amy teased.<br>"Yes, I am Mister Grumpy Face." he said in a cross tone. "You would be too if your space ship wasbroken down for the next month in some park in Colchester. That's four Sundays I have to deal with and they're so boring!"  
>"Oh come on, Doctor. It won't be so bad. It's just another adventure." She said hoping to cheer him up. She put her index fingers on the corners of his mouth and forced his lips into the shape of a smile. He grabbed her hands and gave her a small real smile.<br>"You're a nutter, Amelia." he told her.  
>"Yeah, but now you're smiling." She shrugged. "Gotcha."<br>The Doctor shook his head at her and stood up off the bed and pulled Amy up into a hug.  
>"We should probably get back to the love birds before they get any ideas." The Doctor said. He took Amy's hand and led her back out to the living room.<br>Craig and Sophie were sitting on the couch watching television when they walked in the room. The Doctor let Amy sit in the chair next to the couch and he stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders.  
>"So Doctor, Sophie and I were wondering if you and Amy wanted to go out to the pub tonight and catch up with the guys from pub league? Maybe get them to let you play a game of football while you're staying." Craig suggested.<br>"Of course we would!" Amy replied before the Doctor had a chance to shoot the idea down. After the day they had, she knew they could use a night out. Then tomorrow they would work on trying to be normal, boring adults.  
>"Lovely!" Sophie squealed in excitement. "I'll start getting ready!"<br>Amy looked up at the Doctor and smiled. She could sense he was nervous about having to act like a normal human and still cross about the TARDIS. But what she didn't know was how terrified and happy he was to his first night as a normal bloke with Amy. Fighting off an army of daleks couldn't compare. He smiled back at her before letting Sophie take her away to get ready.  
><em>Not a bad start to a month of being a boring adult, <em>he thought as he watched her walk away.


	2. Chapter 2

Amy sifted through the drawers of clothes in the little guest room she and the Doctor were sharing trying to find something to wear on her night out with Sophie, Craig and the Doctor. She hadn't expected to be doing anything like this while they were staying on Earth. She wasn't sure what she expected them to be doing, really. She was so used to seeing him defeat aliens and monsters that it was hard for her to imagine him doing human things, like going out to the pub with friends or waking up in the morning and brushing his teeth. For the next month or more, she would see him in pajamas and eating breakfast and doing the dishes. Even if that was boring and mundane for him, it really was an adventure for her.

Amy finally decided to throw on an over-sized jumper over a pair of tights to replace the tank top and shorts she had put on this morning for the trip to Space Florida. She padded down the hall and went in to the bathroom where Sophie was putting on her makeup. When she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror she noticed what a mess her hair had become thanks to the TARDIS throwing her about. Sophie paused for a moment and watched Amy brush the tangles out of her hair. She reminded her of a school girl getting ready for her first date. She couldn't help but be curious about what was going on between Amy and the mysterious Doctor.  
>"So Amy," Sophie began nonchalantly as she put on her mascara. "How long have you and the Doctor been together?"<br>"Oh, we're not together. We're just friends. Best friends." Amy replied. She could feel her cheeks turning pink. She wondered how many other people, or aliens for that matter, saw them together and assumed they were a couple.  
>"I see. How did you meet him? Did he fall out of the sky into your front yard?" Sophie joked.<br>"Actually it was my back yard." Amy told her. "He crashed the TARDIS into my shed when I was seven. Then he came back twelve years later and saved me from an alien that had been living in my house. We've been running ever since."  
>"Oh, how <em>romantic!<em>" Sophie gushed. Amy laughed. It was nice to have someone who saw running away the day with a mad man and his box the way she did.  
>While the ladies were getting ready, the Doctor waited in the kitchen with Craig eating omelets the Doctor had made and making small talk about the TARDIS and the practical applications of being able to talk to cats. About the time they had started a discussion of the history of daleks, they heard someone on the other side of the room clear their throat.<br>"How do we look?" Sophie asked as she did a spin to show off the dress she was wearing.  
>"You're beautiful!" Craig boomed. He jumped up from his seat and ran over to her. Amy stepped out of his way so he wouldn't run into her as he fawned over his girlfriend. She walked over to the Doctor and stole a bite of his omelette.<br>"This delicious!" Amy said with a mouthful of food. "Who made this?"  
>"I did." The Doctor said smugly.<br>"Did you use your screwdriver?" Amy asked in disbelief.  
>"No! Why would I use my screwdriver on an omelet?" The Doctor answered in an offended tone.<br>"Well, you use it for everything else!" She defended. She didn't know he could do anything that could be considered domestic, let alone cook an amazing omelet.  
>"I'll have you know, Miss Pond, I learned to cook from the very best eighteenth century chef in Paris." He told her. She raised her eyebrows to show him how impressed she was and took another bite.<p>

"Save me a bite!" Sophie exclaimed as she hurried over for a taste. The Doctor handed her Craig's fork and she cut herself a bit. She popped it into her mouth and her eyes widened in surprise. It was as delicious as Amy made it sound to be and more.  
>"If you don't mind, Doctor, you can just stay here and cook for us as long as you like!" Sophie joked as she stole another bite.<br>"Alright you lot, let's get going before we end up staying here eating omelets all night." Craig said as he ushered them away from the food and towards the door.  
>After a short walk through Colchester, the four arrived at The Kings Arms. It was a cozy little pub with a fireplace, candles everywhere, a dance floor and a little stage for live music. Over the sounds of the band was a constant hum of people talking and laughing. The place was packed to the brim, even in the beer garden outside. But that was typical for a Friday night in Colchester. A handful of guys from he football team sat at the bar in front of the tap flirting with the one of the bartenders. Craig saw them and led the group over to where they were seated. The team whooped with excitement at the return of The Doctor.<br>"Who's your friend?" Shawn asked the Doctor. He gave Amy a wink.  
>"Oh! This is Amy. She's my... companion. We travel together." The Doctor replied stepping in between the two.<br>"Nice to meet you, Amy. I'm Shawn." He said as he reached around to shake Amy's hand. "First round of drinks are on me!"  
>The group let out a roar and started giving orders to the bartender. She began pouring and mixing drinks furiously to keep up with the onslaught of requests. Shawn stood up and offered his seat to Amy. She looked back at the Doctor for approval. He shrugged and motioned for her to take the seat. He stood beside her protectively. He knew he had no reason to be jealous. It's not like Amy was his wife or even his girlfriend or something like that. But as he watched her talk to the men around her and saw the attention they were giving her, he felt himself turning green with envy. He couldn't blame them. Amy was gorgeous. That hair, those limbs... But even if she wasn't his in a romantic sense, she was still <em>his <em>Amelia Pond. He took off his jacket and hung it on the back of her chair. Goosebumps rippled across Amy's skin when she felt the Doctor's fingers brush against her back as he hung his jacket. She flashed a smile in his direction and noticed he seemed a bit cross.  
>"Roll up your sleeves and relax, Doctor. You're a normal human, remember?" She reminded him. Amy reached up and grabbed his arm, unbuttoned the cuff and began to roll his sleeve for him. He broke the dominating glare he was shooting and Shawn and watched her hands at work. He chuckled and ruffled her hair with his free hand.<br>"Can I get you guys somethin'?" A bartender asked the two of them as Amy started rolling up Doctor's second sleeve.  
>"I guess I'll have a glass of wine," Amy said. "And he'll have..."<br>"I'll just have a nice cup of tea. Maybe in one of those fancy glasses with the little umbrella? I love those." The Doctor said. The bartender gave him a befuddled look.  
>"Tea?" she asked, unsure if she'd heard him correctly over all the noise.<br>"Yes. I'm not much of a drinker, per say." He replied. The bartender shrugged and carried on mixing and pouring. A minute later, a glass of wine and tea in a martini glass appeared before the two of them.  
>"To a new adventure." Amy toasted and clinked her glass against The Doctor's.<br>"Cheers." The Doctor replied.  
>For the next couple hours the group chatted about Craig having the Doctor as a house guest and having a position on the team waiting for him if he wouldn't mind play for them. Drinks were flowing and the group boomed with laughter and high spirits. The Doctor did his best to loosen up and be a normal bloke. He watched the men around him take shots and guzzle down beer and laugh at the occasional drunk nutter who stumbled past, slurring words that no one could understand. Every once in a while, Amy would feel him brush his hand across her shoulders or tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear. It took almost everything she had not to shudder when he did. She looked over at the Doctor and watched him him relax and have a laugh. She couldn't get over how perfect he looked when he smiled. Their first night out together was going so well. And thanks to the generous gentlemen around her, she had lost track of how many glasses of wine and cocktails she had drank. The room was spinning pleasantly around her and Amy Pond was all smiles.<br>When the band finished their set, the pub played music over the sound system and people began to migrate to the dance floor. Amy and the Doctor were arguing over whether or not the little umbrella in a drink _really _made it taste better when Shawn approached Amy and asked her to dance.  
>"Oh, I don't know." Amy said apprehensively. "I'm not sure that's a good idea..."<br>"Just one dance?" Shawn pleaded.  
>"I guess one dance won't hurt." She said, defeated and overcome by how easy-going the alcohol had started to make her. Shawn took her hand and led her to the dance floor.<br>"You're not from around here, are you?" Shawn yelled over the music and they danced.

"What do you mean?" She asked in a panicked voice. How could he know that she just came from another planet in another galaxy that no one on Earth will know about for the next ten thousand years?  
>"Your accent. It's Scottish, right?" He said somewhat confused.<br>"Oh. Right! Yes, I'm Scottish." She laughed.  
>"So did the you meet the Doctor while he was traveling or something?" Shawn asked.<br>"Yeah, or something..." Amy mumbled. Shawn seemed a bit confused by her answer but shrugged it off and spun her around the dance floor.

The Doctor turned back to his tea and tried to ignore the nagging feeling he felt in his chest. He stared at the fancy glass and twisted the little umbrella between his thumb and forefinger. The woman who had been serving their drinks all night leaned against the bar opposite of him.  
>"You're one hell of a fellow letting your girlfriend dance with that guy." She said motioning towards Shawn and Amy on the dance floor.<br>"She's not my girlfriend. She's my companion. It's... complicated." He tried to explain.  
>"Sounds like it." The bartender replied half-heartedly.<br>The Doctor watched the two dance for a moment. Shawn had one hand clasped with Amy's and the other on the small of her back in a drunken waltz. He spun her around and dipped down so her hair brushed the floor. She giggled as he pulled her back up and twirled her around some more.  
>"If you want I can help you out." The bartender proposed.<br>"How exactly are you going to do that?" The Doctor asked without taking his eyes off Amy.  
>"Easy." she replied. "I'm Lex, by the way."<br>"Nice to meet you, Lex. I'm the Doctor." he reciprocated.  
>"Well, Doctor, all you have to do is wait here. You'll figure out when to come in." She said. She threw back her head and downed a shot before hopping over the bar and sauntering out to the dance floor. She started out at a group of guys, rotating her hips and flipping her blonde hair. The Doctor wasn't sure how this was helping him get close to Amy. But she danced, she inched her way closer and closer to where Shawn and Amy were dancing. As the end of one song and the beginning of another blurred into each other and Shawn and Amy paused to catch their breath, Lex bumped into Shawn and worked her magic on him. He was defenseless against her fluttering eyelashes and the way she moved her body against his. Amy bowed out gracefully and looked around for the Doctor.<br>"Oh, that's what she meant!" The Doctor said to himself. He fought his way to the crowd to get to Amy.  
>"Would you... Do you want to dance?" She asked, stumbling over her words. Before he could answer, she wrapped her arms around his neck and started moving against him. The Doctor wasn't sure what to do with himself or her.<br>"You're new to this, aren't you?" Amy teased. She took his hands and placed them on her hips and in return put her hands on his and tried to get him into some kind of rhythm. When she accomplished that, ran her hands up his stomach and wrapped them around his suspenders. She pulled him closer to her so their bodies were pressed against each other. Then she slid her hands back up around his neck and tangled her fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck. For the next few songs they moved their bodies against each other, unaware of anything else going on around them. But soon the alcohol caught up with Amy and she began to lose her balance and started tripping over her own feet.  
>"We should probably get you back to your seat." The Doctor recommended. He put Amy's arm around his shoulder and guided her to an empty chair at the end of the bar where Lex was cleaning dirty beer mugs. He helped Amy into her seat and tried to sit her up right but it was more than she could manage in her current state. She laid her head down on the bar and told the Doctor she wast tired. He grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair she sat in earlier and wrapped it around her.<br>"I think it's time to get her home. I'll watch her while you round up your friends." Lex offered. The Doctor nodded and weaved his way back through the dance floor to try and find Craig and Sophie. He finally located them under the disco ball in the middle of the floor snogging the face of one another.  
>"Craig, Sophie, hate to interrupt but we have to go." The Doctor said trying to break the two up.<br>"Just a minute, mate." Craig said in between kisses from Sophie.  
>"No, we have to go. Amy's had too much to drink and I have to get her home." The Doctor explained quickly.<br>"Just go on without us. You have a key." Craig said in a flustered tone before returning ins attention back to Sophie.  
>The Doctor ran back to Amy and checked the pockets inside of his coat for the spare set of keys Craig had given him a few months back. He pulled them out and tucked them into his pocket and turned his attention back to Amy.<br>"Hey, I called a cab for you. Didn't think you'd want to carry her all the way home." Lex said. She flashed the Doctor a smile.  
>"Lex, give me your hand." He said as he reached in to his other pocket and pulled out a small handful of cash. He slapped in into her open palm and shot down any objection she gave him. "You deserve it."<br>The Doctor scooped Amy out of her chair and carried her to the exit. Outside, as promised, was a cab waiting for them. The cabbie opened the door to the backseat so the Doctor could lower Amy in. He slid in next to her and gave the man directions back to the flat along with a few bills for cab fare. When they reached their destination, he tried to help her out of the back seat but she swatted him away and insisted she was fine. She swung her long legs through the cab door and began to stand up. She stood straight for a few seconds before inertness took over her and caused her to fall forward. The Doctor caught her mid-fall.  
>"Okay, maybe you should carry me." Amy giggled.<br>The Doctor carried her through the flat and in to their room honeymoon style. Unlocking the doors was a bit of a challenge along with trying to navigate the narrow hallways with Amy's legs dangling over his arm. He hoped that she wouldn't remember him accidentally hitting her ankle off one of the door frames when she woke up in the morning. When they got to their room, the Doctor laid Amy on the bed and helped her take off her shoes. He pulled back the covers for her so she could side into them. When she was comfortable and tucked in, he patted her head and got up to leave the room.  
>"Doctor? Where are you going?" Amy slurred.<br>"Just out to the living room to wait for Craig and Sophie so you can get some sleep." He said.  
>"Will you stay with me?" She murmured.<br>"You really need to rest..." The Doctor said nervously.  
>"Please?" Amy whispered. "At least until I fall asleep."<br>The Doctor nodded. He pulled his shoes off and slid under the covers next to her. She curled up next to him and tucked her head under his chin.  
>"Goodnight, Doctor." She said quietly.<br>"Goodnight, Amelia." He said back to her. He kissed the crown of her head and watched her drift off into an effortless sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

When she awoke the next morning, Amy found her self a bit dazed. She rubbed her eyes and looked around the temporarily unfamiliar room until her tired brain caught up with her and reminded her where she was. When she sat herself up, she realized she was wearing the clothes she put on last night to go out to the pub along with the Doctor's tweed jacket. She tried to piece together the events of what happened the night before. She remembered walking to the pub, meeting the guys from the football team, Shawn buying drinks, dancing with the Doctor; everything else was a blur. The strain of trying to jog her memory made her head throb. She rubbed her temples and gave up. _I'm sure the Doctor can fill me in, _she thought to herself. As she pulled the covers off her legs, she noticed something at the foot of the bed; a pair of sweats and a football jersey along with a note.

_Amy,  
>I thought you might want something comfortable to wear today. I'll have breakfast ready when you wake up. Big day today!<br>-The Doctor._

Amy smiled at his note. She got out of bed and changed into the clothes the Doctor left for her. She folded up the note and tucked it in the pocket of one of her bags for safe keeping. She tiptoed down the hallway to the bathroom and began cleaning herself up. In the kitchen, the Doctor sat at the bar reading the newspaper. The more he read, the more he laughed.  
>"This lot will make news out of anything." He said to himself as he read an article about celebrity sightings in Colchester.<br>He continued to read for a few more minutes until he heard water running at the other end of the flat. He laid the newspaper on the table and made his way back to the bathroom to check up on Amy. He knocked lightly on the door and waited for a response. She jumped a bit when she heard the noise on the other side of the door sending half her toiletries flying through the air and then on to the floor.  
>"Sorry! Didn't mean to scare you. Just making sure you were alive and well." The Doctor said through the door. "How's your ankle?"<br>"What's wrong with my ankle?" Amy exclaimed as she pulled up the hem of the sweat pants to examine her ankles. Sure enough, the left one had a big, purple bruise on it. "Doctor, why is there a bruise on my ankle?"  
>"I'll explain over breakfast. Hurry up, Pond." The Doctor spun on his heels and returned to the kitchen and began preparing Amy's breakfast. Amy stayed in the bathroom for several more minutes washing her face and brushing her teeth. She looked at her reflection and mentally prepared herself for the stories the Doctor had for her from last night. Suddenly a delicious smell seeped into the bathroom from under the door. Amy forgot all about her bruised ankle and trying to remember what happened last night and followed it down the hall in to the kitchen. She stopped where the hallway and the living room met. A few feet away, the Doctor was cooking up a storm with a towel over his shoulder. Amy stood there quietly and watched him work. He sauteed and stirred and flipped things effortlessly all at once. Considering he was usually less than graceful to say the least, seeing the Doctor like this was a sight to behold. She quietly walked over to the breakfast bar and hoisted herself up on a stool hoping not to disturb him. To her dismay, the Doctor turned around with a plate of food and set it in front of her.<br>"Bon appetite." He smiled. Before Amy dug in to her food, she reached across the bar and fixed the hair that had fallen in front of his eyes while he was hard at work cooking.  
>"Thank you for the breakfast."<br>"My pleasure. How are you feeling?"  
>"Awful. But the food is helping."<br>"What hurts?" the Doctor asked pulling his sonic screwdriver from his pocket.  
>"Just my head and my ankle." Amy watched him fiddle with the settings on the screwdriver before he pointed it at her head. After a few seconds of sonicing her head, he ducked under the table and did the same to her bruised ankle.<br>"That should take the pain away, and the bruising will fade faster but it might take a day or so." The Doctor flashed Amy a satisfied smile. "Now go on, eat up!"  
>The Doctor had cooked her a shmorgishborg of food including crepes, french toast, a omelet, and even tea just the way she liked it. If the Doctor hadn't already soniced away the pain, the food would have made her forget all about it.<br>"Aren't you going to have something?" She asked feeling a bit guilty that she had all this wonderful food for herself.  
>"Mine's almost finished cooking." the Doctor said excitedly. Just then the oven's timer dinged. He turned back around and began preparing his own meal. When he was finished, he sat on the stool across from her and produced a plate a fish fingers and a bowl of custard. Amy shook her head at how ridiculous he was.<br>"All this amazing food and you make yourself fish fingers and custard." She laughed.  
>"I can have crepes and omelets any time. When the TARDIS is finished repairing, I'll take you to eighteenth century France so you can have the real thing if you want. But how often do I get to enjoy fish fingers and custard?" He said as he drenched one of the fish fingers in custard. He took a bite and a satisfied smile spread across his face. Amy shook her head and continued eating her delicious breakfast.<br>"Wait, where are Craig and Sophie?"  
>"They're getting groceries and lunch, I believe."<br>"Lunch?" Amy looked down her watch. It was half passed two already. She hadn't realized that she had slept in _quite _so late. But at least Craig and Sophie wouldn't be there to help her relive last night. It was embarrassing enough that the Doctor had to do it. The pair ate in silence while Amy worked up the courage to say something.  
>"So, Doctor," Amy began anxiously. "What exactly happened last night?"<br>"Right. Funny story, actually. We went down to the pub, the entire football team bought you drinks, you danced a bit with Shawn before I cut in. We were having a great night until you started tripping over your own feet."  
>"We danced? You can dance?"<br>"Do you just assume I don't know how to do anything human? Yes I can dance. Rather well, I might add." The Doctor said indignantly. Amy raised her eyebrows at him but didn't say anything. She didn't want to hurt his ego any more than she apparently had. "Anyway, our marvelous dancing was cut short by you stumbling about so I called a cab and brought us back."  
>"So what about my ankle, then?"<br>"Well, when the cab dropped us off, you went from tripping to falling and I had to carry you inside."  
>"What does that have to do with my ankle?"<br>"I might have hit it off a wall... or two." Amy glared at him from across the bar. "You try carrying that pair of legs you've got without hitting it off something!"  
>"So I didn't do anything too awful, right? No dancing on tables or bringing home strays?"<br>"Nope. I got you home safe and sound as usual."

"I can always count on you." Amy chuckled. Even though she would never admit it to him, she wasn't kidding when she said that. Any time she needed him, he was there. It didn't matter if she was tripping over her feet or staring down the eye stalk of a dalek.  
>"Anything else you need filled in on?" He asked before taking a bite from another fish finger covered in custard.<br>"Just one thing. Why was I wearing your jacket when I woke up this morning?" She inquired.  
>"I put it on you last night before I took you home. Didn't want you catching a cold or something. Why? Do you have some opposition towards my clothes? Because you are wearing my football jersey you know." He said slyly.<br>"Am I now? I bet it looks better on me." She teased. The Doctor looked at her. She did look beautiful in his shirt, but she looked beautiful in everything. He had to make a conscious effort to take his eyes off of her or he never would. A lifetime of watching Amy Pond wouldn't be enough. While he was distracted, she reached across the bar and dipped her finger in the custard. She brought her finger back to her lips for a second before reaching back over and touching the Doctor's nose with her custard covered finger.  
>"Very funny." He said as he wiped the custard off his nose. She reached forward and touched his nose again. He looked at her sternly, trying not to laugh. "Amy, stop."<br>She dipped her finger back in the custard and dotted his face with it as he tried to dodge her attacks. The Doctor dipped his hand in the bowl and leaned towards Amy in retaliation.  
>"No, I just washed up!"<br>"And I just made you breakfast!" The Doctor stood up from his stool and started walking over to Amy's side of the bar.  
>"Doctor, don't you dare!" Amy yelled. She stepped down from her stool and started backing away from him. He reached for her with his dripping hand and she took off for their room. The Doctor chased after her but she was too fast for him. She skidded into the room, closed the door and locked it as quickly as she could.<br>"You know I have the key to that door with me, right?" The Doctor said in between laughs.  
>"Did you forget I'm wearing your football jersey?" Amy retorted.<br>"Okay, fine. You win this one. But you have to help clean up." He said as he looked back at the trail of custard they'd made.  
>"Go clean yourself up first." The Doctor followed her command and headed to the bathroom. He turned the water on with his clean hand and starting washing. Amy gave it enough time that she could be sure he wasn't scheming to lure her into a trap to get her back before heading to the bathroom herself. When she walked in, the Doctor was trying to wipe off the custard dots Amy had put on his face.<br>"Let me help." Amy said as she grabbed a wash rag and dampened it with the warm water in the sink. She used one hand to hold his fallen fringe back and began to wipe the custard off his face.  
>"Amy, I've been thinking. Since we're going to be here for a while and we have to be normal, I won't be able to call you my companion for now." Amy felt a lump form in her throat form as he said this. Did that mean they just had to act like they didn't know each other? Pretend like they were strangers?<br>"I don't understand." Her voice shook a bit when she spoke. She hoped he didn't notice. She took a deep breath and focused her attention on cleaning the custard from his forehead.  
>"Well, if you don't mind, would you pretend to be my wife while we're here?" The Doctor asked timidly. It took a minute for what he said to sink in to Amy's mind and pull her out of mulling around her thoughts of the Doctor being embarrassed of her. When her brain made sense of what he asked her, she froze. She searched his eyes for some clue that it was a joke or that she had heard him wrong. The Doctor could tell something wasn't clicking for her so he decided he had to resort to something a little more old fashioned. He took her hands in his and kneeled in front of her.<br>"Amelia Pond, will you be my pretend wife in sickness and in health, to TARDIS do us part as long as we are staying with Craig?" the Doctor asked. He let go of her right hand and started searching in his pocket. He pulled out a thin silver ring with a round diamond in the middle. Amy some how managed to reply with "of course" and the Doctor slid the ring on her finger.  
>"So we're married now?" Amy said looking down at the shining stone on her finger. The Doctor stood up and examined her hand as well, surging with the pride of a job well done.<br>"Yep. As long as we're here, you're Mrs. Doctor."  
>"I don't think so. You're Doctor Pond." Amy countered. "Where did you get this ring anyway?"<br>"The queen of Metzula Beta gave me the diamond. She fancied me." The Doctor said smugly. Amy lightly punched his arm. "Anyway, it's a special diamond. If you cut it in to pieces and give a piece to a different person, it would connect all of them. If one of the people with part of the diamond was in trouble, the others would know. Or if one person got lost, the diamond would lead the rest to that person."  
>"So is there other pieces to this diamond then?"<br>"Just one. I have it." The Doctor pulled a thin chain out from under his shirt. At the end of it was an diamond that looked identical to the one on her ring. "So if we get separated while we're here, we'll be able to find each other."  
>"Is this how you did it on your planet? Propose with tracking devices?" Amy teased.<br>"It's not a tracking device! It only tells me where you are if you need me." the Doctor told her. She smiled at him. It was a comforting though know that he would know if she needed him and even better, she would know if he needed _her._ She was one step closer to being able to getting a glimpse inside his mind. He wrapped his arms around her in a protective hug.  
>"Now you can't go wandering off." Amy said, half-jokingly.<br>"And you're stuck with me." the Doctor replied.  
>"Well, if you don't want to sleep on the couch you should probably get to cleaning up the mess you made with the custard." She looked up at him with her eyebrows raised. The Doctor let out a sigh and took the damp rag from her hand and headed towards the hallway.<br>Twenty minutes later after Amy helped the Doctor clean his mess, the two pretend newly weds sat on the couch watching telly. The Doctor had used the sonic screwdriver to rewire the television so that it would pick up channels from other planets and universes. They were half way through an episode of Space Survivor when Craig and Sophie came home with several bags of groceries. The Doctor and Amy jumped up to help put things away.  
>"Hey mate, fancy playing a game of football today?" Craig asked the Doctor as he restocked the refrigerator.<br>"I should probably consult the misses. What do you say, Amy? Up to tagging along?"  
>"Sure. I'll just go get changed." Amy hopped up and headed in to the bedroom to get changed.<br>"What's going on with you two?" Sophie asked curiously.  
>"Amy and I are pretend newlyweds is all." the Doctor grinned.<br>"Well don't start your honeymoon yet, we've got a football match to get to." Craig reminded him. Amy came out of their room a few minutes later in a jumper and a pair of jeans and handed the Doctor his jersey. He flashed her a smile and made his way down the hall to get changed.


	4. Chapter 4

Amy and Sophie stood on edges of the playing area at the park with a handful of other spectators while the men stood around on the field preparing for the game. Before the Doctor began stretching along with the other players he ran over to Amy, took off his jacket and put it around her shoulders. He wrapped his hand around the nape of her neck and touched his lips to her forehead. He started to leave but Amy grabbed his shirt and spun him back around.  
>"What was that for? You never do that unless something big happens." Amy said in a low voice.<br>"We got married. That's something big. Even if we're pretending, we have to act the part." The Doctor winked and her and sauntered back on to the field. Amy shook her head and slid her arms in to the sleeves of his jacket. Suddenly she felt several pairs of eyes on her. When she looked over, the group of onlookers had turned their gaze in her direction.  
>"Why is everyone looking at me?" Amy whispered to Sophie.<br>"I'm not the only one fascinated by your mysterious husband apparently." Sophie replied as she shot a look to the other women watching the match nearby.  
>"That's your husband?" a blonde-haired woman interjected. She walked over from a few feet away and joined Amy and Sophie.<br>"Yeah, what of it?" Amy raised an eyebrow at her. When she took a good look at the blonde, there was something familiar about her but Amy just couldn't put her finger on it.  
>"Well, when I saw you at the pub last night I didn't notice any rings is all." The woman replied casually with a soft smile.<br>"We were getting them cleaned." Amy said quickly. "Where you with us at the pub last night?"  
>"Sort of. I was on bar maid duty last night. I'm Lex. I was the one that called the cab for you and your husband."<br>"I thought you looked familiar!" Sophie said. "What are you doing here?"  
>"The guys always invite me to watch them play and I didn't have much else to do today so I figured I'd tag along." Lex shrugged. "Shawn insisted."<p>

"Well feel free to stick around with Amy and I." Sophie offered. Lex looked at Amy for approval. Amy eyed her for a second. Something in her told her to be wary of this woman but she dismissed it to what could only be jealousy. It was obvious why she was so popular with the football team. After all, Lex was gorgeous; slick blonde hair, long legs, a devilish grin on her face. Amy put her differences aside and welcomed Lex into their group. Even though it made her feel like a girl in secondary school, she kept her guard up just a bit with Lex. The three made small talk about Craig and Sophie moving in together and the reason behind Amy and the Doctor's visit. Amy quickly told her The Doctor and Craig were old friends and they were just there on holiday to celebrate the house. Lex seemed satisfied with her answer but soon after started asking about the details of her relationship with the Doctor. Thankfully she was saved by the sound of the referee's whistle signifying the beginning of the game.

At the core of the field there was a semi-circle of blue shirts and a semi-circle of red shirts that had come together for the coin toss. Players from each team scattered around their own respective side of the field stood tense with anticipation. Craig and the Doctor decided who would call the toss for their team between the two of them with a series of intense looks from one to the other. After a long moment the Doctor nodded in approval and Craig stepped forward. A player from the red team stepped up shortly after. The referee told the two men to call it in the air and tossed the coin with a quick flick of his thumb.  
>"Heads!" Craig's voice dominated the call. The coin landed on the grass with a small thud. Excitement buzzed through the crowed as they waited for the ref to make the call.<br>"Heads it is! Kings Arms gets first ball!"  
>The semi-circle of blue shirts high-fived and celebrated their success in the coin toss. Each team walked back the required distance for kick-off and took their positions. The Doctor stood in the middle of his side of the field, lined up to kick the ball. Craig took his position of central midfielder. The silence that came before the kick-off was absolute as if everyone was holding their breath, waiting for the ref to blow the whistle. The Doctor looked over to where Amy was standing. With the two diamonds connecting them, he could feel the adrenaline coursing through her as she waited for the game to start. From where Amy was standing, she could see the delight radiating from the Doctor and surrounding him in haze of gold flecks perpetually floating around his body. The sun reflected off the gold swirling around the Doctor and made him glow. She couldn't tell if it was just her imagination creating the glow or if it was just one of those Time Lord things he did. She made a mental note to ask him after the game. Their gazes met for a moment. For the few seconds their eyes were locked on each other, time seemed to slow down or even stop. He flashed her a cheeky smile before returning his gaze to the ball in the middle of the field. When all the players took their places, the referee blew his whistle. The Doctor headed for the ball at full speed and sent it flying down the field to Craig.<br>The spectators on the sidelines watched at the ball was passed between blurs of people in blue shirts in between blurs in red. Amy stood on her toes and craned her neck to try and pick The Doctor out of the commotion. He weaved his way through the players around him while dribbling the ball between his feet only stopping to draw his leg back and swiftly kick the ball past the goalie. A combination of cheers and groans roared through the crowd of people watching the game.  
>"Look at your husband go, Amy!" Sophie squealed.<br>"I had no idea he was so good at football!" Amy laughed. When the Doctor had told her about playing football when he last stayed with Craig he told her that he was an alright player. She assumed he was being a bit humble because he was a admittedly a bit clumsy and not always the most graceful. Now that she was watching him she couldn't believe that it was the same Doctor that trips over his own feet when he's rushing around the TARDIS.  
>"You didn't know he played?" Lex asked suspiciously.<br>"No, he's told me. He just didn't tell me how well." Amy covered her tracks quickly. Lex nodded her head once in response. After she asked the Doctor why he glowed gold when he was excited she needed to remind him that they needed to create a back story to their pretend marriage so this kind of thing wouldn't happen again.

"Strange." Lex said nonchalantly.  
>On the field, the Doctor could feel Amy's heart rate picking up again through the diamond around his neck. As he walked over to his defense position he glanced over at her. He saw her fiddling with her ring as she talked to Lex. They were too far away for him to be able to make out what they were saying but he had a sneaking suspicion that it had to do with him by the way Amy was twisting her ring. He knew that if she couldn't keep her cool there was a chance someone could figure out they were up to something and the last thing he needed was someone being overly curious about him while the TARDIS was repairing herself. He tried to think of a way to calm Amy's nerves. He cursed himself for not opening the telepathic link between the two of them earlier so he could just send what he needed to say to her in a thought. Suddenly a clever idea popped in to his mind. When he was traveling with Martha she told him that if two people hug heart-to-heart, their heartbeats will synchronize with each other. If he was lucky he could use the connection the diamonds gave them to do the same thing. He felt around his chest for the pendant on his necklace and pressed it against one of his hearts and took a deep breath.<br>A few seconds later, Amy felt an overwhelming urge to hold her hand over her heart. She raised her left hand and touched her chest lightly. Suddenly a wave of serenity fell over her. She pulled her hand back like she had touched something hot. _Come on, Amy. It's just me. Touch your heart again, _the Doctor thought. Amy felt the urge hit her again. She cautiously placed her hand on her chest again. Everything around her fell silent and her heart slowed. She could hear the Doctor's voice in her mind telling her to be calm. When the whistle blew for the next kick-off, Amy dropped her hand back down to her side and relaxed. Whatever Lex was up to, she couldn't let it bother her. At least not right now.  
>Amy spent the rest of the game watching the Doctor in rare moments of grace and chatting with Sophie. Craig and the Doctor where an unstoppable pair on the field. At the end of the game, Kings Arms had one six to three. Sophie praised the two men like a proud mother the entire journey back to the flat. She invited Lex to bring Shawn back to the flat for pizza, booze and telly but much to Amy's delight, Lex politely turned the offer down.<p>

When they returned to the flat, the Doctor headed for the shower and Craig called the pizza order in.  
>"What kind of pizza does the Doctor like?" Craig asked.<br>"Good question." Amy replied.  
>"Has he ever had it before?" Sophie pondered.<br>"To be honest, I'm not sure he even knows what pizza is." Amy told her.  
>"Nine hundred and seven years old and he's never hand pizza? He's never lived." Craig joked. "Hopefully he likes whatever we order."<p>

Twenty minutes later, the pizza had been delivered and the Doctor emerged from the shower in his normal attire, bow tie and all. He inspected the pizza boxes inquisitively.  
>"What is this?" he asked as he lifted the lid.<br>"Have you never seen pizza before, mate?" Craig said as he grabbed a plate and a couple slices of the first pizza. He walked over to the fridge and opened it with his free hand. "Who fancies a drink?"

"I think I drank enough last night," Amy laughed. "I'll just make the Doctor and I some tea."  
>Before starting the tea, she threw a couple pieces of pizza on a plate and handed it to the Doctor. She ushered him over to the chair in front of the television and reminded him it wasn't polite to start eating before everyone else. While the Doctor waited patiently in his chair, the rest of the group poured their drinks and finished fixing their plates. When they were done, Sophie and Craig cozied themselves in to the couch. Amy soon followed. She balanced her plate on her arm as she carried a mug of tea in each hand for herself in the Doctor. When she handed him his tea, he realized she had no place to sit. He started to get up and offer Amy his seat but she simply sat cross-legged at his feet.<br>"So what are we watching?" she asked before taking a bite of her pizza.  
>"Let's see what's on." Craig said picking up the remote. He turned the TV on and started flipping through the channels. A few minutes later Craig started noticing shows from his newly installed alien channels. "Satellite Five Big Brother? I've never even heard of this show. That's a bit weird."<br>"Yes, you wouldn't have since Satellite Five won't be come about for at least a hundred thousand years from now." the Doctor replied. "I was on it once. I had a different face, though. And they disintegrated the people that got evicted. Scary stuff."  
>"Then how can it possibly be on my television?" Craig continued to flip through channels from the future and other planets in awe.<br>"I might have soniced it just a bit." The Doctor shrugged and tried a bite of his pizza. "This is delicious. Why hasn't anyone made me try this sooner?"

"Don't change the subject. What did you do to my TV?"  
>"I used the sonic screwdriver to amplify your satellite reception. Now you get channels from other planets and universes. But I think the TARDIS' vortex has started to work again because you're now we've got channels from the future. Amy, we'll have to check that tomorrow."<p>

"I'm kind of disappointed. I thought futuristic telly would be, I don't know, different than it is right now." Sophie sighed.  
>"Would you rather they be disintegrated?" the Doctor asked in a confused tone.<br>"No! Maybe we should just find a movie?" Sophie quickly suggested.

Sophie and Craig flipped through the seemingly infinite amount of new channels looking for something interesting to watch while the Doctor scarfed down his pizza, asking Amy a questions about his food while he chewed each bite. They finally decided on Much Ado About Intergalactic Nothing: A 150,000th Anniversary Tribute. At the end of the movie, the Doctor turned to Craig and Sophie anticipating their amazed reaction to futuristic renditions Shakespearean plays but at some point during the movie, Craig and Sophie had fallen asleep with their heads resting on each other. Amy quietly stood up and turned off the TV and helped the Doctor clean up the dirty dishes then the two headed back to their room. The Doctor sat down at the end of their bed and started taking off his shoes and socks while Amy sorted through her drawers of clothes to find a nightie.  
>"Doctor, I need to get changed." Amy said in a shy manner.<br>"Oh. Right. I'll just, um, step outside for a minute then." The Doctor said awkwardly.  
>"You don't have to do that. Just look anywhere else until I'm done." Amy watched him look around the room for something to distract him for a few seconds before she turned around and lifted her shirt over her head. The Doctor heard fabric hitting the floor and before he could stop himself his eyes drifted over to where the noise came from. His gaze skimmed across the pale skin of her lower back as she slid her arms in to her nightgown and pulled it over her torso. His modesty kicked in and he quickly adverted his gaze to somewhere else in the room and hoped she hadn't noticed his wandering eyes. Under the nightie, she undid her jeans and kicked them off into the pile of dirty clothes she started when she changed earlier in the afternoon.<br>"So, Doctor. I think we have a few things we need to talk about." Amy said as she walked over to her side of the bed and sat down. She pulled the blanket back and tucked her feet in.  
>"Like what?" He started worrying that she had in fact noticed his quick glimpse of her bare skin a moment ago.<br>"Well, first of all, how did you make yourself glow gold on the field today?"

"What are you talking about? I wasn't glowing. Time Lords don't glow unless they're regenerating and I'm still the same old this Doctor."  
>"But when you were playing football earlier, you had a gold glow around you whenever you were smiling."<br>The Doctor was stumped for a moment before he remembered another effect of the diamonds. "We can see each others emotions while we're wearing the diamonds. So you were seeing the physical representation of how I was feeling."  
>"I wonder what color you are when you're cross." Amy joked.<p>

"Very funny." the Doctor retorted and threw a small pillow lying near him at her.  
>"Okay, time to be serious." She reached over to the floor where the pillow had landed after zooming past her and threw it back in his direction.<br>"I try never to be serious. Not if I can help it." The Doctor said as he caught the pillow before it hit him.  
>"Well, if we don't come up with a back story to our <em>marriage <em>Lex or someone else is going to catch on and then who knows what could happen." Amy's serious tone caught the Doctor off guard. "We can't just fly off in the TARDIS like we do normally. We'd be stuck here and everyone would know you're an alien and take you to some secret government alien testing lab and I'd probably get taken in to a scary alien questioning room without you."  
>"Is that why your heart was pounding while you were talking to Lex at the match?" He scooted closer to her and placed a hand on hers.<br>"How did you know?" Amy hoped her heart beat wasn't so audible that it could be heard several feet away.  
>"Well, not only can we see what the other is feeling but we can feel the other's heart beat, too. By the way, you glow light blue when you're cross." The Doctor gave Amy a small smile and patted her hands.<br>"I'm not cross. I'm worried." She told him.  
>"Right. Light blue, worried. I'll remember that." He replied and made a mental note of that fact.<br>"We really do need to make up that back story though. Today was a close call. Lex is one curious gal." Amy said.  
>"Alright. We met when you were seven when I became your neighbor in Leadworth. We were friends growing up and I started to court you after you finished school and started to travel to write a novel together or something and recently we thought 'what the hell?" and tied the knot. How does that sound?" The Doctor noticed Amy wasn't totally thrilled with this as a back story. "Unless you have something better, Pond."<br>"It's as good as anything, I suppose." She shrugged.  
>"Well what do you suggest then?" He raised his eyebrow her willing her to share her version of their backstory with him.<br>"Why can't we just be something normal like teachers or shop keepers?" Amy questioned.  
>"Because normal is boring, Amy! Have I not taught you anything while you were with me? Amelia Pond, the girl who doesn't make sense, you are anything but normal. You're extraordinary." As he spoke he inched closer to her to hold her face in his hands. His eyes flickered back and forth between hers. Amy could feel her heart pick up speed as a reaction to the Doctor's closeness to her. He felt it too and pulled away. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."<br>"I you didn't scare me. You just... never mind. We should probably get some sleep. Tomorrow's a big day." She joked.  
>"What's tomorrow?" the Doctor asked. He tried to remember what day of the week it was but he never bothered to remember the order of them. What was the point? He skipped half of them and never experienced the others in their correct order or expected to.<br>"Your first Sunday." Amy said with a smile. She slid her body down so she was laying on her side facing the Doctor and pulled the blankets over her.  
>"Don't remind me." he muttered as he got up to switch the over head light of their room off. Amy waited for him to return to the bed before turning her bedside lamp off. She expected him to pull back the covers and lay down with her but instead he sat on the comforter with his back against the head board and his ankles crossed.<br>"Aren't you going to lay down? Or do Time Lords sleep sitting up?" Amy asked.  
>"I was going to let you get to sleep. I don't want to hog all the blankets or something." He replied sheepishly.<br>"Don't be silly. Just come to bed like a normal person." She pulled the blankets from under him and patted the spot next to her.  
>"Are you sure about this? I don't want to-"<br>"Doctor, it's fine. Quit fussing."  
>The Doctor slid under the blankets and pulled them up to his chest. He was unsure of how to lay or where to put his gangly legs. He laid on his back and laced his fingers on his chest and stared at the ceiling. Amy looked over at him and smiled. Moonlight streaming through the window illuminated his face with silver and blue light. He was a breathtakingly beautiful sight laying in bed next to her. This moment was everything she had dreamed about as a little girl when she was scared or alone and prayed to Santa to bring the Raggedy Doctor back to her. She did everything she could to fill the hole in her heart he had left when he flown away in his TARDIS and didn't return in five minutes like he promised. She tried to make Rory just like how she remembered the Doctor and for a while, that was enough. He might not have filled the hole, but he covered it up. But when the Doctor came back, he blew the cover right off that hole and made it ache more than ever before. Amy had come to love Rory so much but the Doctor's return made her realize that he was never what she truly wanted.<br>Rory was content growing old together in a quiet village and becoming a doctor and having Amy at home to raise their children. But Amy was much to restless for that fate. She wanted to run just because she could. And when she was with the Doctor, she could run with him forever if she chose to. He was everything Amy dreamed and hoped he would be and so much more. Even though she loved Rory, how could she pass that up? She could see jealousy flicker in the Doctor's eyes when Rory showed her affection and the pain in his face when he thought she was in trouble. Maybe it was just wishful thinking but she kept a glimmer of hope that the Doctor loved her the way she loved him. Even if he didn't, she wasn't sure she could go back. She had twelve years of life without the Doctor and it wasn't something she ever missed. Even if the Doctor didn't love her too, she would stay at his side. Of course she would. She was his Amelia Pond; the only girl in the universe to whom the Doctor tells everything. And she would do everything she could so he would never be alone again.

The Doctor felt Amy's gaze on the side of his face. He turned his head and looked at her. The light blue glow that was all around her had faded from a light blue to a deep blue. He tried to decipher what emotion the blue could represent without having to ask her. She didn't seem upset or nervous. She wasn't worried. Maybe she was happy? He hoped she was while she was lying beside him. He didn't want to think about the times he had been the cause of her feeling angry or anxious or scared. Or hurt. Especially not hurt.  
>"Are you alright?" Amy asked apprehensively, breaking his train of thought.<br>"Yes. Why? Do I look not alright?" He asked. He cursed himself for so obviously broadcasting his feelings to her without meaning to.

"You're glowing dark blue. TARDIS blue. I didn't know what it meant." She answered scouring his eyes for clues as to what he was feeling so he couldn't try to tell her he was fine if he wasn't.

"You're the one glowing dark blue, Pond." He pointed out to her. "Are _you_ alright?"  
>"I'm fine." She countered. "I was just thinking."<br>"Yes, me too. What a waste when I could be dreaming." The Doctor quickly shut down any opportunity for her to ask what exactly he was thinking about. He wasn't in the right frame of mind to come up with something clever that would distract her. "Goodnight, Amelia."

"Goodnight, Doctor" Amy sighed. The Doctor returned his gaze to the ceiling before closing his eyes and settling in. Amy kept her eyes on him for a moment before she nudged herself closer to him and rested her head on his bicep and closed her eyes too. The Doctor smiled when he felt the softness of her cheek on his arm. He reached over with his free hand and pushed away the hair that fell out of her face and whispered _sweet dreams_ before letting himself fall asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Amy and the Doctor ran as fast as the could to where they landed the TARDIS. He kept a tight grip on her hand and they sped through a maze of corridors and hallways. They had gone back to visit Winston Churchill when suddenly a croup of cybermen appeared to destroy the daleks. Unfortunately, they had shown up a few years late and found the Doctor instead. Now he and Amy were running for their lives

"Doctor, they've got me!" Amy shouted. A cyberman grabbed her arm and pulled her back.  
>"Amy, I'm trying! Grab my hand!" The Doctor lunged forward and reached for her outstretched hands.<br>"Don't let go." She pleaded. Tears sprung from her eyes as she clamored for his hands.  
>"Never." He wrapped both hands around hers and held on as tightly as he could while the cybermen tried to pull her away. "Keep hold of my hand. I'm not going to let them take you. I'm not going to let you go."<p>

"Promise me you won't let them take me." Her voice shook in terror as she spoke. The Doctor leaned forward and kissed her lips as hard as he could.  
>"The day I made you my wife, I promised to keep you safe from all woe and harm and I'm going to keep that promise." She gave him a weak smile and he felt his own tears beginning to form. Even in the face of danger, Amelia Pond still smiled at him and eased his wounded heart. He leaned towards her and kissed her forehead hoping he could do the same for her. Suddenly another cyberman appeared behind him and started pulling him away from her. He did everything he could to fight it off and still hold on to Amy but it wasn't enough. Their hands separated and the cyberpunk starting pulling Amy and the Doctor down opposite ends of the hall.<br>"Doctor, help me!" She thrashed against the cybermen trying desperately to escape.  
>"Amy, stay calm. If you struggle it will only make things worse. Just go with them and I promise I will save you. As long as you have the ring on, I'll be able to find you. And I will find you. Don't you give up."<br>"Where are they taking me?" She yelled back at him. "Doctor, I don't want to die. Not here."  
>"I'm not going to let that happen, Amy. Don't you give up!"<br>Tears fell faster down her face as they pulled her down the hall and in to another corridor where the Doctor couldn't see her. Another cyberman had joined the one holding him back and started dragging him away. He fought against them and managed to get one of his arms free and reach for his sonic screwdriver.  
>"Tell me where they took her." He growled with the sonic pointed at chest of the cyberman who was still holding on to him.<br>"She will be deleted." It replied in its monotone voice.  
>"If you hurt her, I will end your entire species. I've done it before when I had a different face and I will do it again." He threatened.<br>"Amelia Pond scheduled for deletion immediately." The cyberman replied. Amy's scream and flashing lights filled the corridors.  
>"No! Amy, no!" The Doctor screamed and pulled his arm free of the second cyberman's grip. He pulled the diamond pendant out from under his shirt and held it in his hand as he ran down the hallways yelling for her. He couldn't feel her heartbeat. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw a glint of gold on the floor in front of one of the doors; it was her necklace. He couldn't control his tears now. They poured from his eyes as he squeezed the diamond as hard as he could and hoped he could hear what he was screaming in his head. <em>Tell me where you are, Amy. I'm coming to find you. Just tell me where you are. Please. I love you, Amelia. You're tougher than they are. You're Scottish. They're just cold metal. You have to keep fighting. Don't let them change you into one of them. <em>Nothing. He grabbed the doorknob and tried turning it. When he realized it was locked he fumbled around for the sonic and blasted it open. He was blinded by a bright light bouncing off the white walls around him.  
>"Doctor! Wake up!"<p>

The Doctor's eyes shot open. Amy was above him with her hands on his shoulders. He reached up and touched her face checking to make sure every bit of here was there without so much as a scratch. He ran his hands over her ears, down her neck, along her collar bone and over her heart. He flattened his hand and made absolutely sure he felt it pushing back at him.  
>"What are you doing?" Amy laughed. The Doctor looked up at her. She was laughing. There were no tears in her eyes, no fear in her voice. She was fine. She was alive. When the Doctor didn't laugh along with her, she looked at him carefully. His eyes were glassy and red... like he'd been crying.<br>"Oh, Amelia." He pulled her down to him, as close as he could get her. He buried his face in her hair and took a deep breath.  
>"You only call me that when you're worried about me. Is everything alright? " She asked weaving her hand into his hair.<br>"Never mind me." He whispered. "Are you alright?"  
>"I'm fine! Why wouldn't I be? You just woke me up because you were tossing about. I rolled over to tell you to knock it off and I heard you mumbling in your sleep. You sounded terrified." She pulled away from him and held his face in her hands. He reached up and covered her hands with his. He didn't ever want to lose the feeling of her touch.<br>"I thought... I thought they took you." He said.  
>"What do you mean? Who's they?"<br>"The cybermen. You wanted to see Winston again, so I took you. And they came for the daleks but they found us instead. So we ran. But one of the cybermen grabbed you and I couldn't save you."  
>"It was just a nightmare. We're fine. I'm not hurt. See?" She smiled at him.<br>"You don't understand. I didn't save you. You died and I didn't save you." The rage inside of him started to bubble up. Amy was quiet. She had no idea how to comfort him. She couldn't imagine what she had seen in the nightmare. She was struck with an idea; maybe he could show her.  
>"Show me then." She whispered.<br>"What?"

"Show me the nightmare. You showed Craig your past. And I know you can see in to my dreams. The Dream Lord told me you could. So show me your nightmare."  
>The Doctor stared at her. "Are you sure about this?"<br>"I can't help you if you don't." She answered softly.

"Okay." He sighed. "Lie down next to me."  
>Amy pushed herself off him and laid on her side facing The Doctor. He rolled on to his side so their foreheads were pressed together and their noses touched. He grabbed her hands and placed them so her fingertips were at his temples.<br>"Are you absolutely sure about this?" He asked as his fingers hovered over her face.  
>"Yes." Amy replied in a whisper.<br>"If it's too much for you just move your hands and open your eyes." He touched his fingers to her forehead and closed his eyes. In his mind, he replayed the dream for Amy to see in her own mind. She watched the dream unfold in wonder. Everything about it was so real and vivid. If she didn't know better, she could have sworn she was really sitting back in Winston Churchill's office sipping wine and laughing. Suddenly, a man made out of metal burst through the door. The Doctor stood up and pointed his sonic screwdriver at the robot causing it to fall to the floor. He looked in to the hallway where it had come from. He turned around and grabbed Amy.  
>"We need to run as fast as we can. Cybermen are coming." He said quickly.<br>"I have an escape route, don't worry." Winston pushed a button under his desk causing part of the wall to slide back and expose a hidden corridor. "You two leave. I'm going to send out a distress call to Professor Bracewell."  
>The Doctor laced his fingers with Amy's and took off. She watched the Doctor replay them running and being cornered by the cybermen. It broke her heart to watch him struggle to keep ahold of her hands as she was being pulled away from him and the way he kissed her so she wouldn't be afraid. The rage she saw come from him when they took her away from him was unmatched. She had seen him when he was cross and even when he was angry but this was on another level. His green eyes had darkened to almost black and he looked like a caged animal. A scream rang out through the halls and the Doctor yelled after it. Amy realized he was yelling for her. It was her screaming from somewhere else; she was dying. The Doctor broke out of the cyberman's grasp and ran after her. Tears poured from his face as he ran trying desperately to find her. Amy couldn't take it anymore and opened her eyes. The Doctor opened his soon after. When he did, Amy noticed that they looked so much older than they had the night before.<br>"I'm so sorry, Amy. I shouldn't have agreed to show it to you." The Doctor said. She could tell he was angry with himself.  
>"No. I'm fine. Really." She said quickly hoping to ease his pain.<br>"Then why are you crying?" He got out of bed and started pacing the room. Amy touched her hand to her face. When she pulled it away, the tips of her fingers where wet and glistening. She wiped the tears away and sat up. She grabbed her watch from the night stand and checked the time. It was only five in the morning.  
>"Doctor, it's fine. You saw me die in a nightmare and you're blaming yourself like always. It's just hard to see you like that. But I'm fine. I'm not dead and you didn't scar me for life. Please just come lay back down." Amy said softly.<br>"But it isn't the first time I've had a nightmare like this. I've seen you die in reality before. I've held your hand from the passenger seat while you drove a van in to a house in a dream that we thought was reality. All because of me. And now I see it over and over again almost every time I sleep." He whispered intensely. "I'm nine hundred and eight years old. I've seen so much in my time. But nothing haunts me more than seeing the people I care about in trouble or hurt because of my selfishness. Do you remember what I told you when I was in the Pandorica?"  
>"You asked me if waiting for you was worth it. And I said of course it was." She said quietly.<br>"Do you remember the reason I gave for taking you with me?" He stopped pacing and stared straight ahead waiting for her to answer. Amy stayed silent. "I told you it was because you had too many empty rooms. I lied again. It wasn't just the empty rooms. You were alone, even with all the attention from Rory and your aunt, you were still alone because you were waiting for me. And you were so different than any human I had ever met. Alone and the only one of your kind. You're just like me. I took you because when we're together, we're our own kind and we aren't alone."  
>The Doctor sat at the foot of the bed with his head in his hands. Amy was stunned. She knew he carried the weight of so many universes on his shoulders but he never let it show. He always went from one adventure to the next, saving the world with a smile. Seeing that smile fade away had her at a loss for words. She had spent all this time with him while he carried that weight and never knew she was there to help him. She quietly got out of bed and walked over to where he sat at the foot of the bed and kneeled in front of him.<br>"Doctor..." She said gently. He lifted his head and gazed at her with tired eyes. She took his hands and put them on her forehead where he had before.  
>"Amy, what are you doing?" He asked as she put her hands over his and closed his eyes.<br>"Trust me. Close your eyes and look." She replied.  
>When the Doctor closed his eyes, he saw flashes of Amy's memories from the night he crashed and the first time she stepped on the TARDIS. The flashes of memories showed their happiest moments together over time they had spent traveling together.<br>"You said it yourself, Doctor. Every life is a pile of good things and bad things. For me, my pile of good things is so much bigger than the pile of bad thanks to you." Amy said as the last few memories played out. When she opened her eyes she saw the Doctor smiling at her.

"What are you smiling at?" She asked matching his grin.  
>"Here you are, Amelia Pond, trying to fight off a Time Lord's nightmares. You are so Scottish." He laughed.<br>"Shut your face." She said playfully. "Now if you're all better I think we both deserve a few more hours of sleep."  
>She let go of the Doctor's hands and stood up and returned to her side of the bed. The Doctor watched her get comfortable before he turned and crawled over to her. He curled up to her and tucked his head in the crook of her neck. He found her hand and laced their fingers together.<br>"Amelia Pond," He whispered in to her skin. Amy could feel his lips brush against her neck as he smiled. A wave of goosebumps rippled over her skin in response. "The girl who doesn't make sense."  
>"Go to sleep, Doctor." Amy said in a mocking stern voice before kissing the top of his head and closing her eyes. She hoped that she had fought off his nightmares, even if it was just for tonight.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

The Doctor woke Amy up a few hours later, ready to start the day as if nothing had happened a few hours before. When she looked at her watch and realized that it was only half past eight in the morning she pulled the covers over her head indignantly and begged for him to let her sleep. He tried every nice thing he could to get her out of bed. He offered to take her shopping then buy her dinner anywhere she wanted or bake her a cake as tall as she was. He even offered to take her to find a fun fair while they stayed in Colchester. When bribing didn't work, tugged the covers off of her and threw them to the other side of the room. She responded by using his pillow to cover her head again. The Doctor sighed and pretended to give up and sat at the end of the bed near her feet. He waited for her to start to doze off again before he attacked. With one hand he held on to her ankle then danced his long fingers across the bottom of her foot. She tried to kick him away with her other foot but was unsuccessful. Amy attempted to roll over and swat his hands away but he was too quick. Just as quick as she had rolled over, he was on top of her holding her arms down to her side.  
>"Nice try, Pond, but you're going to have to be quicker than that." He said with a smile. "Go get a shower so we can get down to the TARDIS and see how she's doing. I reckon you're awake now anyway. "<p>

"Fine. But I still expect everything you promised earlier" Amy grumbled. She pushed him off of her and dragged herself to the dresser. She pulled out a pair of jeans and a button up shirt from one of her drawers and headed to the bathroom.  
>While she was getting ready the Doctor headed in to the kitchen to whip up a quick breakfast for the two of them. When he got to the end of the hall he saw Craig and Sophie still sleeping soundly on the couch together. They were laying face to face and Craig had his arms wrapped protectively around Sophie as they slept. The Doctor smiled. <em>At least I could bring them together, <em>he thought. He turned around and headed back to his room. He decided to preoccupy himself while he waited for Amy by tiding up their room. With how busy the last few days had been for him and Amy they hadn't been very neat and clean. He let his mind wander as he picked up clothes and threw them in to a hamper.

_I'm sure this isn't what Amy expected when we left again,_ the Doctor thought. _I wonder why she came back in the first place. Things with Rory seemed to be going so well. At least, I hoped they were. He really loved her. Maybe I tried too hard to keep pushing her to be with him. _Guilt started to mingle in with his thoughts. Part of him wished he had done something different so that Amy and Rory could have been happy together. But a bigger part of him was selfishly happy to have her to himself again. Not having to ask permission to touch her was such a relief. It was hard enough to limit how often he acted on his impulses to erase any distance between them without an angry pair of eyes constantly burning in to the back of his head.  
>A short while after the Doctor had finished cleaning up the dirty laundry and making the bed, Amy walked in to her room as she fastened up the last few buttons of her flannel shirt. When she got a few steps in she stopped and shook her head.<br>"You're sitting on the bed, aren't you Doctor?" She said wryly without looking up from what she was doing.  
>"It appears as though I am." He chuckled.<br>"I figured you would be in the kitchen making breakfast."  
>"Craig and Sophie are still asleep on the couch so I figured I would wait here until you were done then we could get breakfast on our way to the TARDIS."<br>"I could use a warning next time so I don't barge in here with no clothes on and send you in to shock. And don't think buying breakfast gets you out of dinner."  
>The Doctor shook his head and got up to put his shoes on. He threw Amy a pair of her trainers while she twisted her still damp hair in to a bun. They quietly snuck past Sophie and Craig so they wouldn't wake them then headed to the TARDIS. Amy convinced the Doctor to skip breakfast for now so they could get working.<p>

Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor ran around the lower level of the console room tweaking and fiddling things. Amy laid on her back on the clear floor above him. She had pulled her hair out of its bun and fanned it out around her head like a halo made out of flames.  
>"You look like a mermaid with your hair like that." The Doctor joked from below.<br>"Very funny." Amy sassed back at him. "What is it with you comparing me to fairytales?"  
>"I don't know. Maybe it's because you're living out every girl's dream." He replied casually.<br>"And what is that?" She tried not to laugh.  
>"Running away to the stars with their imaginary friend who is devilishly handsome if I do say so myself."<br>"I know that was my fairytale when I was a little girl, but most girls want a knight in shining armor on a white horse."  
>"How boring. Can you hand me that sonic wrench next to your foot?"<p>

Amy sat up, grabbed the wrench and walked down to the lower level. From the bottom of the stairs she watched the Doctor adjust wires and knobs above his head. He muttered something and crossed two wires causing sparks to shower over him.  
>"Is everything okay?" Amy asked.<br>"Yes, she's just being cross. Come take a look." The Doctor held his hand out to help Amy step over the clutter he had created on the floor as he worked. They stood together and looked up at the TARDIS through the wires and the clear floor.  
>"I can see why you're so crazy about her. She really is beautiful." Amy said quietly.<p>

"That's why I stole her. Well, borrowed. I really was going to give her back. But she had other plans." The TARDIS sparked again and the Doctor grinned. "She likes you too, by the way. I think you're the first person I've brought along that she hasn't referred to as a stray."  
>"What does she call me then?" She asked curiously.<br>"The Orange Girl." The Doctor gave Amy a cheeky smile when he replied.  
>"Well, it's better than being called a stray." She shrugged.<br>"She's happy to have to back on board, too." The Doctor said earnestly.  
>"I'm beyond happy to be back."<p>

"Amy," he took a deep breath and tried to figure out how to word the question in his mind carefully. "If I ask you something, will you promise answer it absolutely honestly?"  
>"I never lie to you, Doctor." Amy was surprised by his change in tone. He was being serious. He was never serious if he could help it unless it was extremely important.<p>

"Before you called me to come back for you, you said that you and Rory wanted some time away..."  
>"Rory wanted some time away. I just reluctantly agreed." She cut him off in mid sentence and corrected him.<br>"Okay, Rory wanted some time away and you went with him. What made you come back? More importantly, what made you come back alone?"

"We were fighting a lot while we were traveling with you and Rory thought that if we spent some time away from alien planets and almost dying that things would get better. But I was miserable, Doctor. After seeing the future and new planets and galaxies, normal human life is only fun again for a week or so. I started to miss you and traveling in the TARDIS and everything that came with it and Rory could see it. So we started fighting even more.

"If I stayed with Rory, I'd be nothing but Doctor William's wife. With you, I'd like to think I'm making a difference. Even if I die on some alien planet six months from now, I would have lived more in that time than I would have if I spent the next sixty years with Rory. I just couldn't do it anymore. I thought Rory was everything I needed, but I guess I was wrong. So one night while he was working third shift at the hospital, I packed up my stuffed and phoned you."  
>"You're traveling with me to run away from Rory?"<br>"No, I came back to run away from Rory. I have different reasons for staying. But it's not like this is the first time I've done something like this." Amy gave the Doctor a smile and tried to lighten the mood. She hadn't planned on telling him about her failed marriage or how unhappy she had been while she was away partially because she wanted to just forget about it and partially because she knew that the Doctor would take the blame for it. He didn't say respond for several minutes. He just kept tinkering away at whatever he was fixing in the wires above them with an emotionless expression.  
>"This is all my fault." He said finally. Amy sighed at the fact that her prediction deadpanned his response.<br>"That is exactly why I wasn't going to tell you." She groaned.  
>"You and Rory would be the Happy Ponds if I hadn't come and mucked it up." He lowered his hands to his sides but kept looking above him.<br>"How do you know that? How do you know this wouldn't have just happened ten years down the road? At least I realized sooner this way. Rory can find someone that loves him as much as he loves them and I can still travel with you. It wasn't a choice I wanted to make, but I had to. This is what I've always wanted anyway. I've got my best friend and my space ship. That's all I need." She hoped her explanation would at least take the edge off the guilt she knew he was causing himself to feel.  
>"No, no, no. No. It was always you and Rory. You said so yourself!" He said deliberately.<br>"Yeah, well, I changed my mind. I'm allowed." Amy touched his arm lightly. The Doctor still kept his gaze fixed above him. He knew that the second he looked at her he couldn't continue being cross and he wasn't quite done yet.  
>"Amelia..."<br>"Look, if you want me to leave I will. I will walk right out of this TARDIS and you will never hear from me again." She dropped her hand and took a couple steps back. The Doctor stood his ground. Amy took a few more steps and stopped at the bottom of the stairs.  
>"I mean it, Doctor. I'll do it." She stepped up each stair dramatically. The Doctor flicked his eyes in her direction but he continued to hold the stature. When Amy got to the top of the stairs she shrugged and started strutting toward the door. The Doctor rolled his eyes at her thinking that she would get as far as the door before turning around and stomping back down the steps to yell at him for not coming after her and he would tell her how Scottish she is. He almost started laughing at the scene he played out in his head when he heard the TARDIS door open and close. He called her name and didn't get a response. He dropped the tool he had in his hand and bolted up the stairs after her. He called her name again just to make sure she wasn't pulling some stupid prank on him. Again, no response. He grabbed his coat off the back of the pilot's chair and threw it on as he ran towards the doors. He burst out on to the sidewalk and nearly knocked over a passer-by who was just outside the doors. He apologized repeatedly as he looked back and forth from each end of the sidewalk, searching for Amy's flaming hair. She was storming off towards Craig and Sophie's flat as fast as she could manage without actually running.<br>Now she was the one who was cross. She wished she would have made something up when he asked her why she came back or that she told him the reason she stayed. _You, stupid face. I came back because of you, _she screamed in her head half hoping he could hear it somehow. Suddenly she heard someone calling her name and looked over her shoulder. There he was, chasing after her. That was a nice change. But she was too stubborn to stop or even slow down, so she kept stomping down the sidewalk ignoring him when he called her name. If he wanted her attention, he had to work for it. However, when The Doctor saw Amy look back at him he picked up speed and caught up to her fairly quickly. He grabbed her by the wrist and spun her around.  
>"Where do you think you're going?" The Doctor huffed.<br>"Back to the flat. You obviously don't need me around." She retorted in her annoyingly Scottish way.  
>"When did I ever say that?" He raised his eyebrows at her and waited for her to try to give him a nonexistent example.<br>"Look, if you're going to mope about because you think my failing marriage was _your _fault, I might as well leave. I've done enough of it already and frankly, the TARDIS isn't big enough for me to live with you and your smugness." She countered in an exasperated tone. The Doctor wasn't sure how he was supposed to respond to her remark. He had never traveled with anyone so blunt before. Anyone else would have fawned over him and told him repeatedly that it wasn't his fault but Amy Pond was reprimanding him for being _smug_. He tried desperately to form words and spit them back out at her.  
>"Look, Rory and I both decided it was for the best. I'm not the marrying kind, remember?" Amy said in a softer tone.<br>"Says the girl who is pretending to be married to me." The Doctor replied.  
>"Again, it's not the first time. You were my imaginary friend when I was a kid after all."<br>"If you're not the marrying kind, what kind are you?"  
>"The kind that knows you need me wether you'll admit it or not."<br>"But-" The Doctor tried to retaliate but Amy cut him off before he could even begin.  
>"You said it yourself last night. You're lonely without me." She said defiantly.<br>"Now who's the smug one?" He said with a small smile.  
>"Why can't you just be serious when I want you to be?" She groaned.<br>"I'm never knowingly serious. Rule twenty-seven. You would know that if you would write them down like I keep telling you to, Pond."  
>Amy resisted smiling and giving him the satisfaction of keeping her from being serious, too.<p>

"Amy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up Rory. It was none of my business and you don't have to talk about it." The Doctor said softly. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright."  
>"You don't have to be sorry. You just have to stop thinking that everything is your fault." Amy told him sternly. "Now, can we please go get some food? I don't think I can hold out any longer."<p>

The Doctor laughed and nodded in agreement. They walked a few blocks looking around for somewhere to grab a quick bite of food before returning to the TARDIS. They came across a park with a duck pond and Amy begged the Doctor to let her buy bread so they could feed the birds. He tried to spout off about how ducks are wild animals and they're going to become dependent on a diet of bread because humans just can't leave things alone. Amy shrugged and pushed past him and walked over to where a man was selling bread and bought as much as she could with the money in her pocket. She pushed past the Doctor again and headed over to the ducks who formed an eager circle around her. She tossed bread to them and laughed when they would run up to the scattered bread slowly, snag a piece, then quickly run off again only to repeat the process when they finished the bits they had grabbed. She turned to the Doctor and tried to wave him over.  
>"I'm not going to join in on you ruining the future of duck kind. It's bad enough watching you." He yelled over to her.<br>"Shut your face and get over here or I will make sure you never see that bow-tie again." She yelled back. His eyes widened and he touched his bow-tie. He didn't think she was serious but he wasn't going to stand there and find out. She knew this one was his favorite and it wasn't easy to come by. He stomped over to her like a child in the middle of a temper tantrum and stood next to her with his arms crossed.  
>"Stick out your hands." She demanded. He rolled his eyes and uncrossed his arms and held his hands out for her. She dumped chunks of bread in to his open hands. "Which pocket of your jacket is my phone in?"<br>"My left, your right. Why?" He asked awkwardly holding the bread as far away from him as he could. Amy felt around in his pocket for a minute before finding her phone.  
>"Thank you. Now wait here." She started walking to where he had been standing before she forced him over to to duck pond.<br>"Where are you going?" He started to follow her.

"If you move another step, I'll take all your bow-ties away." She said sternly. "Oh, and smile!"  
>The Doctor shot her a confused look and her the sound of a camera shutter coming from her phone.<p>

"Did you just take a picture of me? I have a reputation to up hold, you know! I'm the Doctor, the Oncoming Storm. Not Feeder of the Earthling Ducks." He shouted in disbelief. As he spoke, a duck came up to his outstretched hands and snagged a clump of bread.  
>"Hush. And smile this time." The Doctor rolled his eyes and gave her a little smirk. She took another picture of him and smiled. She started looking around and took off again, this time towards the man selling bread.<br>"Would you mind if taking a picture of me and my, um, husband?" Amy giggled.  
>"Are you two newlyweds?" The man asked sweetly.<br>"Yep, that's us. Newlyweds." She replied with a smile. She handed him her phone and walked back over to the Doctor who was still pouting. For someone who was over nine hundred years old he could be such a child.  
>"I want a real smile for this picture." Amy scolded playfully.<br>"Fine." He whined. He tossed the bread he had left in his hands in front of him and wiped his hands on his trousers to get the crumbs off before wrapping his arm around Amy and pulling her in to him. She hugged his waist and locked her hands together on his hip.  
>"Whenever you're ready!" She shouted up to the man holding her phone. He counted down from three and took the picture.<br>"One more just in case!" He yelled. He counted down again but this time when he got to one, Amy stood up on her tip toes and touched her lips lightly to the Doctor's cheek. When the picture was taken, she wiggled out from under the Doctor's arm and ran back to the man.  
>"How do they look?" She asked eagerly.<p>

"Beautiful! You two are a beautiful couple!" The man said returning Amy's phone to her.  
>"Thank you so much." She replied and hugged him quickly before returning to the Doctor. He took her phone out of her hands and flipped through the pictures, grimacing when he saw the pictures of himself feeding the ducks.<br>"If you ever show those to anyone, I'll throw your phone in to the same supernova I threw the instruction manual for the TARDIS in." He told her before giving her phone back.

"Fine. But if you delete them, I will never speak to you again." She replied and snatched her phone back before he got any ideas. "Okay, now can we please get some food? I mean it this time. I'm surprised you can't hear my stomach growling."

"I hoped you would say that." He rubbed his stomach dramatically.  
>"You're such a child." She told him. He winked at her and grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the duck pond and towards a little cafe across the street.<br>They spend the rest of the afternoon drinking coffee and sharing biscuits and talking. He told her about the places he'd been, the things he wanted to see, and where he wanted to take her next as soon as the TARDIS had fixed herself up. He promised to take her to see a star being born and to meet Shakespeare and to take her dancing on a planet that was a mind-blowing mix of a medieval kingdom and a futuristic utopia. Amy listened to him ramble on and on, smiling in between sips of tea. The people sitting at the tables surrounding them shot them weird looks when he would mention something about jungle planets or TARDIS parts loud enough to hear. The Doctor's complete oblivion to their bewilderment made Amy smile even more.  
>The Doctor noticed she was unusually quiet. Normally she would pipe up in disbelief of the places he told her about but today she sat across from him smiling as he spoke. She didn't seem unhappy, she just seemed to be letting the Doctor talk. Very un-Amy.<p>

"Is there something on your mind?" He asked.  
>"No, I'm just listening to you. I thought you liked it when people listened to you?" She teased.<br>"Yes, but when do you ever listen to me?" He raised his eyebrows at her.  
>"I listen to you all the time!" She retorted.<br>"Not without interjecting your own opinion. Scottish, that's all I'm saying." He replied.  
>"Shut your face." Amy laughed. She didn't mean to be so distant. Trying to give the Doctor answers about Rory was difficult since she was still working it out for herself. Their effort of their argument earlier had drained her mentally. All she wanted to do was listen to him speak to her.<br>"You know I had a family once. Back on Gallifrey." The Doctor said abruptly.  
>"You... you had a family? Before you were married to River?" Amy felt a pang of jealousy.<br>"Well, technically River is married to a Teselecta but let's keep that between you and I for right now." The Doctor gave Amy a sly wink. "But yes, long before I met River or you or anyone else I traveled with, I had a family. I was a father. I was a father after that, too. But I lost all of them in the Time War. Well, not Jenny."  
>"Jenny?" Amy asked.<br>"A few years ago the TARDIS brought me to a planet called Messaline and some bloke stuck my hand in to a progenation machine-"  
>"And a progenation machine does what, exactly?"<br>"It takes DNA from a single person and creates offspring essentially. And that's how I got Jenny. She was created as a soldier. She was brilliant though, you would have liked her."  
>"Where is she now?"<br>"She's gone too. She put herself between me and a cross man with a gun who didn't like that I ended a war he thought he could win."  
>"But if she was your daughter, why didn't she regenerate?"<br>"She wasn't enough like me..." The Doctor fell silent.

Amy nodded and took a sip of her tea. Across from her, the Doctor was lost in his memories. His grip on his tea mug tightened turning his knuckles white. It had been a long time since he thought about Jenny and even longer since he thought about his own family. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to push the thoughts away but every one of their faces flashed behind his eyelids. He tightened his grip on the mug again without realizing it causing it to break in his hand.  
>"Doctor, snap out of it!" Amy clapping her hands in front of his face. His eyes shot open and met Amy's.<br>"I'm sorry, I just... what's all over the table?" He opened his palm and released the remaining shards of ceramic. Blood flowed from his hand and dripped on to the table along with the coffee and bits of the mug that once was.  
>"You kind of crushed a coffee mug and now you're bleeding everywhere." Amy said as she grabbed a handful of napkins and pressed them in to the palm of his hand. He winced and tried to pull his hand away.<br>"I'm fine, it's just a knick." He explained. Amy pulled the blood soaked napkin away to inspect his hand. He had managed to cut himself from the bottom of his palm all the way up to the groove between his thumb and forefinger.  
>"It's not just a knick, Doctor. We need to get you to a hospital and get you stitched up. Come on." Amy grabbed a handful of napkins as she jumped up and grabbed the Doctor by his jacket sleeve. She pulled him outside and pressed napkins down on his palm again.<br>"Easy, Pond. That stings you know." He hissed.  
>"Well, it's the best I can do until we get you to the emergency room." She said.<br>"Right, yes. Let's take the nine-hundred-and-nine-year-old alien with two hearts to a hospital. That's a really great plan. Your best one in fact." The Doctor replied in a snarky tone.  
>"Then what do <em>you <em>suggest we do, mister know-it-all?" Amy countered.  
>"How good are you at sewing?" He asked swatting her hands away from his with his unhurt hand.<p>

"What does that have to do with anything?" She asked, completely baffled.

"You find out. Come on, then." He replied and started walking back they way they came earlier.

They hurried over the few city blocks separating them from where the TARDIS sat. The Doctor burst through the door and sat in the pilot's chair.  
>"Amy, get my toolbox from the bottom floor." The Doctor instructed. Amy ran down the stairs and returned shortly, lugging the deceptively heavy box behind her. She pulled it the box in front of his feet and opened it.<br>"Do you keep a collection of bricks in here?" Amy asked as she tried to regain a normal breathing pattern.  
>"No, just an emergency brick. You never know when you'll need one. More importantly, a needle and thread so if you could find that then we're in business." He replied.<br>Amy sorted through the clutter of junk he had stored in the box and pulled out a long, silver needle and black thread.  
>"Okay, now what?" She asked presenting them to the Doctor.<br>"Now you stitch me up." He replied.  
>"What? No! I'm not sewing your hand up! Are you mad?" Amy shouted. The Doctor tilted his head and raised his eyebrows at her. "Okay, ignore that question. But you don't really expect me to give you stitches, do you? Tell me you don't."<br>"I fully expect you to give me stitches so get sewing." He held out his injured hand. Reluctantly, Amy sat in front of him cross legged and laid his hand in her lap.  
>"This is probably going to hurt." She said as she threaded the needle.<br>"Thank you for pointing that out as if I didn't know." The Doctor replied sarcastically.  
>"Did you want me to lie?" She hovered the needle over one end of the cut.<br>"It would have been nice." He replied.  
>"Fine. This might tickle just a bit, but try not to squirm to much." She said as she jabbed the needle in to his hand. He jumped and let out a small yelp. "Oi, I told you not to squirm."<br>"Well this isn't exactly pleasant." He replied through gritted teeth as she made another stitch.  
>"Don't be cross."<br>"You try not being cross while a Scottish girl stabs your hand with a needle. Not exactly how I thought this date would end." The Doctor said. Amy wasn't sure if he was still being cross or if he was trying to be funny.  
>"Since when is this a date?"<br>"Every time we're together is a date. Isn't that how marriage works?"  
>"Remember our first date?" She asked, full of nostalgia. "On the Starship UK? I saved you twice. And a star whale. And everyone aboard. Not bad for my first day. Now that I think about it, you were pretty cross then too. Why do I keep sticking by you?"<br>"I'm not sure. I thought for sure Winston Churchill was going to steal you away. And that was only our second date." The Doctor laughed.  
>"Don't forget Vincent. He painted me sunflowers! You've never painted me anything. Or even bought me flowers." Amy stopped sewing up the Doctor's hand and looked at him. "Seriously, why do I hang out with you?"<br>"Because I give you planets and stars." The Doctor reminded her.  
>"Yeah, but some flowers every once and a while would be nice to. Just a suggestion if you want this marriage to be a happy one." She stuck the needle back in his hand.<br>"Ouch! Are you about done?"  
>"Halfway. Remember when we went to that planet with the weeping angels?"<br>"Alfava Metraxis? How could I forget? We still need need to have a visit with the Aplan!"  
>"Well, now that I think about it, this is payback for biting my hand."<br>"You're getting back at me for saving your life by stabbing my hand? That makes so much sense."  
>"You saved my life by making my hand hurt, I'm simply returning the favor." She shrugged.<br>"This isn't exactly a life threatening injury."  
>"You could have bled out if it wasn't for me. And you can thank me for making sure you didn't with some flowers." Amy made one last stitch then knotted the thread.<p>

"Hold up the last bit of the thread." The Doctor said. She held the string up for him and he used the sonic to separate it from the stitches in his hand. He held his hand up and examined the work Amy did.

"I thought about stitching in my name in there too but you barely managed to sit through the stitches you actually needed." She teased as she stood up and brushed herself off.  
>"I appreciate you not doing that. And for stitching up my hand. I'd hate to imagine what would happen if I didn't have you." The Doctor winked at her.<br>"You'd be completely helpless." Amy reminded him. "Now let's get back to the flat. It's Craig and Sophie's turn to cook dinner so all we have to do is clean up and if we don't hurry, we'll miss it and have to make our own food. And as an added incentive, I'm a terrible cook and your hand is stitched up so you can't cook."  
>"Let's get a move on then." He replied quickly.<br>"Sounds like a plan." Amy returned the collection of junk back to the toolbox and tucked it away.  
>"Feel better, love." The Doctor said to the TARDIS, patting her console. With his uninjured hand he grabbed Amy's and pulled her out the door. When they step outside, they're greeted by pouring rain. The Doctor and Amy looked at each other and shrugged. Without letting their hands separate they took off in the direction of the flat as fast as they could.<br>"Not bad for a Sunday, right?" Amy asked.  
>"Not bad for a Sunday." The Doctor agreed.<p>

**(Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. I had so much work at uni to take care of that I had to take a break from writing this. But now you get two chapters for the price of one. Don't say I never did anything for you guys. I love you!  
>x)<strong>


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